PWHL continues West Coast expansion, adding franchise in Seattle

Karissa Donkin · CBC Sports

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The Professional Women's Hockey League volition adhd a franchise successful Seattle up of adjacent season.

Seattle joins Vancouver arsenic the PWHL's archetypal 2 enlargement teams, bringing the increasing league to 8 teams present spanning westbound to eastbound crossed North America. The different teams are located successful Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, the New York Area and Minnesota.

The long-rumoured enlargement to Seattle was confirmed connected Wednesday morning.

Jayna Hefford, the league's enforcement vice president of hockey operations, pointed to Seattle's affluent past of supporting women's sports, a increasing younker hockey assemblage and entree to apical facilities arsenic a fewer reasons wherefore the metropolis was appealing.

"Seattle has been unthinkable successful supporting women's hockey, whether that beryllium astatine the planetary level with the Rivalry Series, and past of people our [Takeover Tour] game," Hefford told CBC Sports successful an interview.

"I deliberation Seattle has truly stood up for women's sports. We can't hold to beryllium portion of that women's sports assemblage here." 

More than 12,600 radical attended a PWHL crippled betwixt the Montreal Victoire and Boston Fleet wrong Climate Pledge Arena, the location of the NHL's Kraken, connected Jan. 5 arsenic portion of the league's Takeover Tour.

Before that, successful November 2022, much than 14,500 fans watched a Rivalry Series crippled betwixt Canada and the United States at the aforesaid location.

The PWHL squad volition articulation the WNBA's Seattle Storm and NWSL's Seattle Reign FC arsenic large women's nonrecreational teams based successful the city.

"The accidental to commencement a caller section of women's hockey successful the Pacific Northwest, combined with calling the world-class Climate Pledge Arena location has truthful overmuch meaning for our league," Amy Scheer, the league's enforcement vice president of concern operations, said. 

"The Kraken already person been unbelievably supportive, and it's a joyousness to person PWHL Seattle articulation the WNBA's Storm and the NWSL's Reign, who are skyscrapers successful the city's towering sports landscape."

Team to play successful NHL arena

Like Vancouver, the Seattle squad volition initially beryllium called PWHL Seattle portion the league develops a caller sanction and logo. The team's colours volition beryllium emerald greenish and cream.

The squad volition play astatine Climate Pledge Arena and bid astatine the Kraken Community Iceplex. Climate Pledge Arena is besides location to the WNBA's Storm.

While the Seattle franchise volition beryllium owned by Mark and Kimbra Walter, on with the different 7 PWHL teams, the bid for a Seattle franchise was led by the Kraken and the Oak View Group that developed and operates Climate Pledge Arena.

"We continually privation to rise the barroom for our athletes and guarantee that the acquisition that they person successful this league is nonrecreational and it's of the highest standards," Hefford said. 

"When we person the quality to spell into a gathering that has the abstraction they need, that has the capableness for our fanbase, that has the quality to broadcast successful a nonrecreational way, there's conscionable truthful galore elements to being successful a gathering similar Climate Pledge."

The league has renovations to bash astatine its facilities successful Vancouver. But the nearly-brand caller Climate Pledge Arena and Iceplex won't necessitate much, speech from adding PWHL branding successful the grooming facilities.

Having 2 teams connected the westbound seashore volition surely marque it easier for the league to transportation that information to imaginable U.S. broadcast partners, arsenic the league searches for a nationalist U.S. TV deal.

"I deliberation that's conscionable 1 cheque successful the container that we covered a geographic footprint with this westbound seashore expansion," Hefford said. "But that couldn't beryllium the lone crushed we did it. It had to cheque each of the different boxes."

Only a abbreviated thrust crossed the borderline from 1 another, Seattle and Vancouver should person a earthy rivalry from time 1 successful the PWHL. Women's teams from the 2 cities person played each different arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1921, according to the league, and this is the adjacent chapter.

Expansion, introduction draught to come

With the league's archetypal circular of enlargement present announced, attraction turns to the off-season and everything that needs to hap to get 2 caller franchises up and moving up of a caller play adjacent fall.

The league needs to finalize rules for an enlargement draught that volition assistance capable retired the rosters of some caller teams. Hefford said that's successful the "final stages."

Also to travel is an announcement connected wherever the caller teams mightiness prime successful the introduction draft, which is acceptable to beryllium held successful Ottawa connected June 24. The league has already said the fig 1 prime volition spell to the existing squad that's accumulated the astir Gold Points, which a squad earns by winning games aft being eliminated from playoff contention.

Behind the scenes, some teams request hockey operations and concern staff, including wide managers, who volition ideally request to beryllium successful spot earlier the enlargement and introduction drafts.

Playoff format apt to stay, contempt expansion

The league is besides piecing unneurotic the puzzle of scheduling adjacent season. The corporate bargaining statement requires a 30- to 32-game play for each team, and the PWHL volition present person to docket 8 teams astir planetary breaks, including 1 for the Olympics successful February and 1 for the satellite title successful April.

"Lots of enactment to bash but the bully quality is we've done this before," Hefford said. "We've done this with much teams. I deliberation we're good positioned to guarantee these teams are palmy connected time one."

Hefford expects the league to lucifer oregon surpass the 167 players who declared for past year's introduction draught successful Minnesota, with astatine slightest 26 much full-time contracts disposable via expansion.

Top players who person declared truthful acold see Wisconsin guardant Casey O'Brien, who won the Patty Kazmaier Award for the apical pistillate NCAA hockey subordinate this season, Canadian defender Nicole Gosling and Haley Winn, who conscionable won a satellite title with the Americans.

Several high-profile players from Europe person besides declared, including the Czech Republic's Natálie Mlýnková and Kristýna Kaltounková, arsenic good as Finnish seasoned Michelle Karvinen. Players person until May 8 to declare.

Four games stay connected the PWHL's regular-season calendar earlier the Walter Cup playoffs statesman adjacent week.

Four teams volition marque the chopped for the playoffs, a format that could proceed into adjacent season, adjacent arsenic the league expands from six to eight.

"At this constituent successful time, we're not looking for a alteration successful format," Hefford said.

"But again, there's a batch to inactive enactment done arsenic we look astatine gathering availability and scheduling, and the planetary events schedule."